Skip to main content
Regional secretary with the National Education Union
US sanctions, Iran and coronavirus
Only an empire as egregious as the US would exacerbate its regime of sanctions against a country in the grip of a deadly pandemic — even mainstream opionion is beginning to raise the alarm, writes IAN SINCLAIR

AS Morning Star readers know, the BBC largely reflects the interests and opinions of the British establishment. Nevertheless, occasionally discerning consumers can find important, critical information on one of the corporation’s many platforms.

For example, at the end of February BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight programme broadcast a brief interview about the Britain’s response to coronavirus with Dr Bharat Pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer at the College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter.

Though he wasn’t asked about Iran, Pankhania, who has over 20 years’ experience working as a consultant in communicable diseases, snuck in an inconvenient truth: “What happens in other countries can come to bite us too,” he said. “I am very concerned about Iran and the health sanctions by the US against Iran. Because when you have uncontrolled transmission of infection in Iran it will affect the Middle East and it will affect us too.”

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
The main entrance of The Guardian Newspaper office on York Way, north London
Features / 21 July 2025
21 July 2025

At the very moment Britain faces poverty, housing and climate crises requiring radical solutions, the liberal press promotes ideologically narrow books while marginalising authors who offer the most accurate understanding of change, writes IAN SINCLAIR

IS
Music / 14 July 2025
14 July 2025

New releases from Allo Darlin’, Loyle Carner and Mike Polizze

IS
Album reviews / 30 June 2025
30 June 2025

New releases from Toby Hay, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Dobson & The Hanging Stars

ILLEGAL FROM THE START: British commandos in the south east region of Afghanistan, May 2002
Features / 20 June 2025
20 June 2025

As the cover-ups collapse, IAN SINCLAIR looks at the shocking testimony from British forces who would ‘go in and shoot everyone sleeping there’ during night raids — illegal, systematic murder spawned by an illegal invasion 
 

Similar stories
Tehran 21.6.25
Features / 22 June 2025
22 June 2025

In the second of two articles, STEVE BISHOP looks at how the 1979 revolution’s aims are obfuscated to create a picture where the monarchists are the opposition to the theocracy, not the burgeoning workers’ and women’s movement on the streets of Iran

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting wi
Features / 21 February 2025
21 February 2025
Freedom now for former PM Mir-Hossein Mousavi and other political prisoners
FINGERS IN THE SYRIAN PIE: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer a
Features / 2 January 2025
2 January 2025
The media’s shocking lack of interest in US-British involvement in Syria means it has effectively been a secret war, argues IAN SINCLAIR
BRUTE FORCE: An Israeli war plane at Tel Nof air base prepar
Features / 24 December 2024
24 December 2024
After the Gaza genocide and unleashing chaos in Syria, the US and Israel prepare to target Tehran next, leaving the Iranian people caught between foreign intervention and continued theocratic oppression, writes GAWAIN LITTLE